


Carpool Buddy

by obsessivechild



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, car journeys, carpool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4673726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivechild/pseuds/obsessivechild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gerard was starting his second year of college, studying art.</p><p>He didn't mind the smelly bus journeys but his Mom had something else planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carpool Buddy

Gerard was starting his second year of college, studying Art.

His speciality was illustration but he enjoyed learning about animation as well.

After a long Summer of basically doing fuck all, Gerard had to face going back to long days of crappy college coffee, rude students and bus rides.

Hopefully his second year would be better than the first though.

"Oh, Gerard."

Gerard looked up from his phone.

His Mom was cooking dinner and had asked him to come up and help but he wasn't really doing much.

"My friend's son is going to the same college as you. He's starting his first year," Donna told him as she got out the plates, "He's studying music."

"Cool," Gerard muttered, playing with his hoodie sleeve.

"He has his own car," Donna continued, "And they only live around the corner."

Gerard's ears pricked up.

What was his Mom getting at?

"Okay..." He was more cautious than before.

Donna grabbed the cutlery.

"Can you call Mikey down?"

Gerard sighed and pulled out his phone again to text him.

It wasn't like he'd be able to hear him with his headphones in anyway.

"I was thinking," Donna stopped what she was doing and turned to face her son.

Gerard put his phone away and waited for what she would say next.

He could tell this wasn't going to be good.

"Since it's his first year," She smiled guiltily, "Maybe you two could carpool."

And there it was.

" _Really_ , Mom?" Gerard sighed.

The last thing he wanted was someone to make small talk with on the way to college every day.

He would have preferred to sit on the smelly bus.

"He's a lovely boy," Donna turned back to the dinner, "He doesn't have many friends. It would be nice for someone older to look out for him."

Now this sounded like a pity case.

Gerard would sound like an ass now to say no.

"Linda's already spoken to him about it. He said he'd be fine with it as long as you chip in some petrol money every now and again."

"I don't even have a car," Gerard tried to think of some excuses.

Mikey walked into the room then.

He ignored them and grabbed the cutlery and place mats to set the table.

"You could use mine sometimes when I'm not working," Donna was obviously set on this happening, "He said he'd be happy to pick you up in the mornings and at the end of each day to take you home."

"So basically I'll have my own personal chauffeur," Gerard slumped against the sideboard.

Donna sighed and started plating up.

"Not a chauffeur. This is more beneficial for him than you. Plus, I don't like you taking the bus. That thing is filthy."

"And what is he supposedly going to get from this situation? My obvious charm?"

Mikey snorted.

Gerard glared at him.

Donna sighed, "Come on, he's a nice boy. I'm sure you two will be good friends."

Gerard could hear Mikey laughing quietly behind him and he resisted the urge to turn around and punch him in the face.

Donna had finished plating up the spaghetti and handed a plate to him.

Gerard took it and went to the table, not in the mood for this conversation anymore.

Mikey sat next to him a second later, putting his food down in front of him.

"He could do with a friendly face," Donna was _not_ dropping this, "Come on. I don't ask you for much."

That was true.

"Fine," Gerard groaned.

A grin spread across Donna's face and she sat down, "Thank you, Honey."

"You never know," Mikey perked up, "You might become best friends!"

Gerard narrowed his eyes at his little brother.

"Shut up."

 

*

 

So, at his mom's request, Gerard was stood outside his house a week later, waiting for this guy to show up.

He was already regretting this.

He didn't even know what this guy was like.

All he knew was that his name was 'Frank' and that was all.

 _Great_.

Out of nerves, Gerard pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

He was never good around new people.

After a few drags, he noticed a car making it's way down the road towards him.

Gerard pulled his jacket around himself a bit more.

He felt a little exposed standing on the sidewalk, just watching this car.

The car slowed down when it was closer and eventually stopped next to Gerard.

Gerard wasn't sure what to do.

Should he just get in?

Luckily, the guy driving the car suddenly popped out of his window, sitting on the car windowsill.

"Gerard, right?" He looked unsure.

Gerard nodded and flicked the last of his cigarette away.

"Uh yeah."

The guy grinned, "Get in then," and disappeared back inside the car.

Gerard widened his eyes a little.

Well, okay then.

He opened the car door and got in.

The inside of the car smelt slightly of smoke and he was pretty sure The Smashing Pumpkins was playing quietly.

"Right," The guy smiled at him, "Shit, sorry, I'm Frank."

He held out a hand.

Gerard took it hesitantly and shook it.

He had a better view of Frank now and, shit, he wasn't complaining about this carpooling thing anymore.

Frank had dyed black, messy hair that was half shoved behind his ear an half in front of his face.

He was wearing a Misfits t-shirt and from what Gerard could see, he had tattoos on both of his upper arms.

Gerard had always liked the look of tattoos, especially on guys.

He felt boring compared to Frank.

"Nice to meet you," Gerard mumbled as he let go of his hand.

Frank turned the music up a little and looked behind them before started down the road to turn around.

"Sorry about this by the way," Frank was saying as he pulled a u-turn in the middle of the empty road, "You probably don't want to be stuck going to college with a loser kid."

"What-?" Gerard looked at him, "No, it's cool. I... You're not a loser."

Frank snorted in response.

"Sure."

"No, you're not," Gerard found himself rambling, "If anything, I'm the loser. I still live in my Mom's basement... I mean..."

He shut his mouth, aware he sounded like a twat.

Frank smiled at him sideways.

"Well... Let's just say we're both losers then. I can see why our Moms set us up."

Gerard swallowed slowly at Frank's choice of words.

He made it sound like they were on a blind date or something.

"So," Frank tapped the steering wheel a few minutes later to the tune of Zero, "My Mom says you're studying Art?"

It never occurred to Gerard that Frank had had the same conversation with his Mom.

"Um yeah," Gerard looked out of the window just to have something to focus on, "I mainly do uh comic book illustration..."

"Really?" Frank's tone of voice made him look at him, "That's rad! Is your stuff good?"

Gerard shrugged, watching Frank's fingers tap on the steering wheel, "I'm alright, I suppose."

"I bet you're awesome," Frank smiled at him, "You'll have to show me some of your work sometime."

Gerard hadn't expected that.

"Oh um... Okay."

He wasn't too sure what else to say.

No one had really asked to see his work before.

Frank seemed to be continuing the conversation anyway, "I'm studying Music. Well, I'm going to."

He laughed a little nervously.

"Are you nervous?" Gerard asked.

Frank shrugged, looking straight ahead, "A little, I guess. None of my friends from high school are going here so I don't know anyone."

This fact obviously upset Frank a little but he acted like it didn't phase him.

"Well, you know me now," Gerard found himself saying.

Frank grinned at him.

"I guess I do."

"If you ever need anything or whatever," Gerard shrugged, not even sure what he was offering.

"Shit, thanks," Frank's smile seemed to be stuck on his face.

Gerard mumbled something about no problem before looking out the window again.

The college was in sight now.

The familiar building soothed him a little.

Sitting in a car with an almost-stranger wasn't too bad after all but still a little uncomfortable.

Frank pulled into the car park, slowing down at little as he looked for a space.

"The Music building's down there," Gerard pointed, "The Art building is right next to it."

"Awesome," Frank smiled and drove down to where Gerard had gestured to.

A minute later, he pulled into a space and turned the engine off.

They both got out in silence, unsure of what to say.

Frank smiled at Gerard as they both reached the front of the car.

"So, shall we meet back here at three?"

Gerard nodded.

"Sure."

They stood there silently smiling at each other for another few seconds before both turning and heading towards their buildings.

 

*

 

This little arrangement continued for the next few weeks.

This wasn't such a bad thing after all, Gerard thought.

It helped that Frank was easy to talk to and maybe a little attractive.

Okay, Gerard was lying if he thought Frank was anything less than incredibly attractive.

But he was off-limits.

Frank was Gerard's carpool buddy.

His Mom was friends with Gerard's Mom.

If he tried anything on with him and got shut down, it would make their car journeys super awkward.

And anyway, knowing Gerard's luck, Frank was probably straight.

All the good ones were.

"Hey," Frank grinned as Gerard got into the car after two weeks of picking him up.

They were both falling into a routine with this whole affair now.

Frank always turned up at quarter past eight and Gerard would get into the car without a moment's hesitation.

They sometimes spent some of the journeys in silence but most of the time, Frank thought of something to talk about; whether it was a debate about certain horror movies or discussions about different bands.

They actually had a lot in common and that was just too much for Gerard.

Because he had told himself that Frank was a no touch zone, that only made him more interested.

God, he was such an idiot.

Instead of making the usual u-turn, Frank pressed eject on the CD player.

"I forgot to change the CD this morning," He told Gerard as he put The Devil's Rain in it's case.

Frank played a lot of music on their journeys.

In fact, Gerard couldn't remember a time when Frank _didn't_ have a CD playing.

Frank put the CD in the door and just sat there for a moment before remembering where to look.

Before Gerard realised what was happening, Frank was suddenly leaning across Gerard's legs.

"Sorry," Frank smiled apologetically as he reached over Gerard, "Just gotta get something out of the glove compartment."

Opening it, he started leafing through the millions of CDs in there until he found the one he wanted.

He grabbed the CD and shut the compartment but then stopped, still awkwardly stretched over Gerard's knees.

"Hey," He looked at him, "Why the fuck is it called a glove compartment anyway? I don't have any fucking gloves. Does anyone even keep gloves in them?"

Gerard chuckled a bit.

"I'm not sure really."

"Like, what's the deal with that?" Frank huffed.

He then realised he was still sprawled over Gerard.

"Oh, jeez, sorry."

He sat back up properly in his seat.

"It's fine," Gerard smiled, feeling his cheeks tint pink.

Frank rolled his eyes at himself as he put the CD he had grabbed into the player.

Black Flag started playing and Frank started the engine again.

"Nice," Gerard remarked.

Frank grinned in response and then they were on their way again.

"I mean, who wears gloves these day?" Frank continued.

"Well, people used to wear driving gloves... Different parts of the car have weird names," Gerard shrugged.

Frank smirked at him while still keeping one eye on the road.

"What other part of the car has a weird name then?"

Gerard thought for a moment before saying, "Well, what do you call the pocket in the door?"

Frank frowned at the road in front of them.

"I just call it _the door_. I put things in _the door_ , you know?"

"It's actually called the Map Pocket," Gerard told him.

"What?" Frank laughed, "Get out!"

Gerard smiled as well.

"It's true."

Frank was grinning after being told that.

"That's so not true."

Gerard just shrugged at him, still smiling slightly.

"So wait," Frank looked at him when they stopped at a light, "The guys who named all this thought about places you could put your map and your driving gloves?"

"They obviously had priorities," Gerard smirked.

Frank started laughing again.

For the rest of the journey, they talked about the sunglasses compartment and other secret pockets that could be added.

Gerard was almost disappointed when they reached the college grounds.

Frank looked glum as well.

They got out and met in front of the car as they usually did to say a quick goodbye before they went on with their day.

"See you later then," Frank smiled.

He was usually the one to say bye first.

Gerard nodded.

"See you later."

And that was it.

That was how the mornings usually went.

As the weeks went on, Gerard found himself slowly craving more than a smile and a wave but he didn't have the courage to approach Frank with a hug.

They were going to see each other in a few hours anyway.

The afternoons when Frank would drop him off would be the best time for a hug goodbye but Frank rarely got out of the car so trying to hug while sat down would be far too awkward to attempt.

That was Gerard's excuse anyway.

Didn't stop him wanting to hug Frank just because he looked like a good hugger and Gerard wanted to get closer to him.

That wasn't going to happen though.

However, Gerard _did_ eventually get closer to Frank but not in a way he thought he would.

It was three pm on a Friday and Gerard was just leaving the Art building to go meet Frank at the car.

What he wasn't counting on though was the rain.

It was raining so heavy you could hear thunder in the distance.

When had that started?

Clutching his portfolio, Gerard made a dash for the car, hoping Frank was already there.

Standing in the rain was _not_ his idea of fun.

Sadly, Frank wasn't outside or inside the car when Gerard got there so he took refuge in a nearby bike shelter.

At least it was dry in there.

Didn't stop it from being cold though.

Gerard thanked his past self for putting on a warmer jacket that morning.

Mikey had said that the forecast wasn't great today.

And let's face it, Mikey was always right.

After about two or three minutes of standing awkwardly, listening to the rattling of rain on the shelter over his head, Gerard wished he had Frank's number just so he could ask him where the fuck he was.

Frank had to choose today of all days to be late, didn't he?

He wasn't often late but when he was, Gerard didn't usually mind.

He would take out a pen and start doodling on his hand or watch people leave the different parts of the college, wondering what their story was.

In hindsight, asking Frank for his number would have been a good idea.

At least now he had the perfect excuse to without it sounding needy or desperate.

At about ten past three, Gerard spotted a figure running towards Frank's car, and after a second, he recognised it as Frank himself.

The idiot was in just a t-shirt like he was this morning and he was practically _drowning_ in the rain.

He stopped next to the car and started to pull out his keys.

Gerard stepped out from under the shelter, next to the car.

Frank looked up when he saw him and then back at his keys before looking up again with wide eyes.

"Holy shit!" He jumped back a bit.

He then frowned before realising who it was.

"Gerard-? Oh, God, it _is_ you. You scared the living shit outta me."

Gerard would have laughed at that if the circumstances weren't different and it wasn't raining so much.

"Just open the car before my balls freeze off."

Frank did as he asked and soon, they were sat in the safety of the car.

Gerard could now see that Frank was literally soaked; his hair dripping in front of his face.

"Where the fuck did all this rain come from?" He asked, shoving his hair out of his face and starting the car, "It's so fucking cold as well. Jesus Christ."

"It doesn't help that you're only wearing a t-shirt," Gerard narrowed his eyes at him.

Frank shrugged in response and backed out of the parking space.

"I couldn't be bothered to grab my hoodie this morning," He eventually said, "Plus, it looked nice this morning."

Gerard rolled his eyes.

"You're a twat."

"Cheers?" Frank smirked.

He was actually shaking visibly now and Gerard noticed this.

"Shit," He sat up a little, "Are you okay? You're shaking."

Frank laughed a little at himself.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Gerard shook his head, "I can't let you go home like that. Your Mom will kill me."

Frank frowned at him.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Still," Gerard continued, "I'm older. I'm supposed to be looking after you or some shit."

Frank snorted at that.

"You're not that much older," He insisted, "I'm a big boy. I can look after myself."

Gerard sighed and rolled his eyes again.

"Not very well."

Frank raised an eyebrow at him before turning his full attention back to the road.

1979 was playing softly and it was creating quite a mellow atmosphere with the rain hammering down on the windows.

It made it seem later than it actually was.

Gerard decided that he had to ask Frank into the house to warm up a bit.

He felt bad for some reason that Frank had gotten soaked even though it was his own fault.

He was still shaking though and that worried Gerard a little.

By the time they stopped outside of the Way household, Gerard turned to his companion instead of saying bye and leaving.

"Come into the house," He said.

He had psyched himself up this much, he had to get him inside now.

A confused expression overtook Frank's features.

"What?"

Gerard nodded behind him, towards the house, "Come in and get warm. Have some coffee. A shower. I don't know. Just warm up."

Frank still seemed confused.

"Why? I only live five minutes away."

"I know," Gerard sighed, "But it would make me feel better if you come in. I don't want you to get sick. And you will if you stay in those clothes any longer."

Slowly, a smile spread across Frank's face.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Gerard nodded, happier now that Frank was apparently giving in.

"Yeah, come on."

He opened the door and then looked back at Frank.

Frank seemed reluctant but opened his door as well and got out.

It was still hammering down pretty hard so they both ended up practically running to the front door.

Gerard fiddled with his keys before swinging the door open and letting them both inside.

"Take your shoes off," Gerard instructed, shutting the door behind them.

Frank did as he was told and soon he was standing there in just his soggy socks, looking at Gerard expectantly.

Gerard took his own shoes off and hung up his jacket before leading Frank towards the basement.

Frank was silent as they went, looking at photos on the walls along the way.

"My room's down here," Gerard told him, wondering what the _fuck_ he was even doing leading Frank down there.

Frank nodded and they went down the stairs.

When they were in Gerard's room, Frank looked around the room a little before whistling low under his breath.

Gerard mentally cursed at himself for not cleaning up a little.

The room wasn't exactly messy but it wasn't tidy either.

There were odd items of clothes and comic books on the floor and his desk had two old mugs with coffee stains left in them.

Gerard moved the mugs to the back of the desk and put his portfolio in their place, next to his laptop.

"I'll get you some clothes to change into."

He went over to his dresser.

"Cool. Thanks."

Frank looked a little awkward stood by the doorway but it wasn't like he could sit down or anything.

He didn't want to get anything wet with rain water.

A few minutes later, Gerard shoved an armful of clothes at him, pointing towards a door, "The bathroom's through there. Feel free to have a shower. You want a drink? I could make you a coffee."

Frank nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, thanks. Just black is fine."

Gerard smiled back and waited until Frank shut the bathroom door behind him to go upstairs.

When he was spooning coffee granules into two mugs in the kitchen, he heard the front door open and then shut again.

Mikey appeared in the kitchen doorway a second later, pulling his hood down.

"Hey," He placed his bag on the table.

"Hey, Mikes. Good day?"

Mikey shrugged in response and was about to leave the room when he spotted something.

"Why do you have two mugs out?" He asked.

Gerard felt himself blush slightly.

"I have someone over."

Hearing this made Mikey turn around altogether and face him.

"What? _Who?_ "

Gerard busied himself with pouring the freshly hot water into the mugs so he didn't have to look at his brother.

"Just... Frank."

Mikey raised an eyebrow.

"The carpool guy?"

Gerard nodded, "He got soaked in the rain so I invited him in to dry off a bit." 

Mikey frowned at him.

"What?" Gerard finally looked at him again.

"Nothing," Mikey shrugged, "Just... I didn't know you guys were that friendly."

"We're friends," Gerard frowned, "What's wrong with me inviting him in?"

Mikey shrugged again.

"Nothing."

He smirked at him before leaving the room.

Gerard sighed at his brother's insinuations before taking the mugs down to his room.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found the bathroom door open and Frank leant over his desk, looking at something.

Gerard had to hold back a gasp when he saw him.

Frank was wearing a pair of Gerard's black jeans but was only holding the t-shirt he had given him.

This meant Gerard had a full view of his back and could see another tattoo.

It was a jack-o-lantern residing between his shoulder blades, smirking at something.

It seemed to be mocking Gerard somehow.

Laughing and saying something like, _"Hands off. Only in your dreams, Sucker."_

After a moment, Gerard snapped out of it.

"Coffee?" It sounded more like a question and he mentally hit himself for sounding like a moron.

Frank stood up properly at his words and turned to face him.

"Thanks," He grinned.

Gerard couldn't help but stare.

Frank had even more ink on his front and it wasn't helping the situation at all.

"I was just looking at your work," Frank gestured to Gerard's open portfolio, "It's all amazing! Shit, _you're_ amazing."

Gerard felt himself blush harshly as he made his way over to Frank, moving the portfolio on top of the laptop and placing the mugs on the desk.

"Thanks, I guess."

"I'm serious!" Frank carried on, gesticulating wildly, "You're an amazing artist."

Gerard ducked his head.

The sight of Frank with no shirt on and all these compliments were too much to comprehend.

"Thanks. No one's ever uh... Reacted like that before."

"Really?" Frank sounded surprised.

Gerard looked up again and only just about managed not to blush harder at seeing how close they were standing next to each other.

"Well, I think it's all rad," Frank smiled at him, "I mean it."

Gerard smiled at him.

"That means a lot."

Frank continued to smile at him until he remembered the t-shirt in his hand.

"Oh, shit, sorry," He shoved it over his head, "I don't usually walk around other people's rooms with no shirts on, I swear."

Gerard felt a little disappointed as Frank put on the t-shirt before telling himself to snap out of it.

Frank would be disgusted if he found out what was going through his mind.

His dirty, repulsive mind.

"Thanks, by the way," Frank picked up his mug, "For the clothes, the shower and the coffee."

"It's no problem," Gerard picked up his own and went to sit on the end of his bed, trying to get away from standing in a close proximity to Frank.

Unfortunately, Frank followed him and sat next to him, leaving only a small sliver of space between them.

"Your room's cool by the way," Frank told him, glancing around again.

Gerard smiled and looked down at his coffee.

"I would have cleaned it a little if I'd known I'd be having company around."

He looked at Frank again.

Frank was already looking at him, watching him with a contemplative look about him.

"What?" Gerard asked, instantly feeling self-conscious.

Frank was quiet before he shook his head, looking down.

"It's nothing."

Gerard took a gulp of his still blazing hot coffee, trying to think of something to say to end the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

"Do you uh... Horror? I mean, do you want to watch a horror movie?"

He really hated himself sometimes.

Frank's face lifted again.

"Yeah, sure thing," He smiled.

Ten minutes later, Gerard had his laptop set up on the bed with Texas Chainsaw Massacre playing while they sat back against his pillows.

"This film has to be one of my all time favourites," Frank was saying, "Like, it has gore. It has jump-scares. It has creepy, old people. It has like, everything. It's pretty fucking awesome."

Gerard took a sip of his coffee and nodded in agreement.

"Not to mention chainsaws."

Frank grinned at him.

"You can't forget the chainsaws."

As they watched the start of the movie, Gerard wondered how the fuck they had ended up here.

Less than an hour ago, Gerard had been leaving his Art room and now he was sat on his bed, watching a film with his incredibly attractive carpool buddy.

He kept having stupid, suggestive thoughts and it wasn't helping.

They were both silent for most of the movie, apart from the occasional comment.

Gerard was feeling tired.

He was sure it had something to do with the weather.

Rain made him feel sleepy for some reason and no amount of coffee in the world could help.

He placed his now empty mug on his nightstand and leant back a bit more, barely able to keep his eyes closed.

He knew he should stay awake really since he was the host and it was his house and everything but he couldn't help himself, he dozed off.

He woke up a while later, trying to remember where he was.

The film was finished and back on the title screen, waiting for further instruction.

Gerard groaned a little before realising there was something on his shoulder.

When he looked down, he was almost surprised to see Frank there, snoring lightly.

He must have fallen asleep as well, shortly after Gerard had.

Gerard smiled down at him.

He had to admit, Frank looked pretty cute when he was asleep.

Gerard's fingers itched with the want to draw this sight but he knew that if he did, Frank would definitely get creeped out.

Trying not to disturb him, Gerard checked the time on his phone.

It was ten pm.

Woah, okay.

He had accidentally had a six hour long power nap.

And Frank was still having one.

Gerard couldn't wake him up just to let him know how late it was.

He carefully moved Frank's head so it rested on a pillow instead of his shoulder.

Gerard felt a little upset at the lack of contact before telling himself to stop being such a creep.

Leaving Frank to it, he quietly went upstairs, into the living room.

His Mom and Mikey were in there, sat on the sofa.

Donna was watching a TV gameshow while Mikey was on his phone.

"Oh, hey, Honey," Donna smiled when she saw Gerard lurking in the doorway, "I haven't seen you at all this evening."

Gerard grunted slightly in reply and sat on the armchair next to the door.

"I would have called you up to dinner but Mikey said you had a friend round."

She looked at him suspiciously, waiting for further knowledge on this whole situation.

Mikey was grinning down at his phone, pretending to be interested in something else.

"Uh yeah..." Gerard crossed his legs on the chair, "We were watching a movie but I guess we both fell asleep."

Donna's eyebrows twitched but she didn't say anything.

"Is that all you were doing?" Mikey finally looked up, a glint of something in his eyes, "I mean, you guys have been down there _all_ evening."

"Piss off, Mikes," Gerard pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I'm just asking what we're all thinking," Mikey shrugged, turning back to his phone.

Gerard made an agitated noise

"Look, I just invited him in to dry off from the rain and have a shower and stuff and yeah... We watched a film and fell asleep. He's still asleep now."

Mikey didn't seem to be buying it but touch luck, Gerard thought, because nothing else had happened.

And this fact wasn't upsetting to Gerard at all...

"Which friend?" Donna asked, trying not to sound surprised at the fact that Gerard actually _had_ a friend.

"Uh... Frank," He looked at the TV so he didn't have to see either of their reactions.

"Frank? Linda's son, Frank?"

Gerard nodded before finally looking at his Mom again.

She was frowning at him for some reason.

"What?" He sighed.

"I didn't know you two were close," She smiled.

Why was this such a big deal?

"We're friends," Gerard repeated his words from earlier.

Donna didn't say anything else, she kept a smile on her face and turned back to the TV.

Gerard gave up any other attempt of conversation with his so-called _'family'_.

All they seemed to do was mock him.

"I'm going to see if he's awake."

He stood up and left the room, not waiting for any reply.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs for the basement, Gerard was surprised to find Frank sat down at his desk, looking at his portfolio again.

Gerard's mouth felt dry as he slowly walked up to him.

Frank seemed to sense him behind him because he turned around.

"Oh, hey," He smiled.

"Hi," Gerard's voice was quiet as he stopped next to the desk.

"I really can not get over your drawings," Frank looked back down at the zombie vampires, "This is all so... Just, wow."

Gerard wasn't used to this much praise before so he ducked his head, smiling at the floor.

"Thanks..."

Frank grinned at him, "No problem. Oh, sorry I fell asleep by the way. I should have left ages ago."

He stood up.

Gerard looked up again quickly.

"No, hey, it's okay. I fell asleep too."

Frank smiled, "Yeah, I noticed that."

Gerard felt pink appear on his cheeks.

"Still," Frank continued, "I should get going."

No, Gerard thought, he can't go _now._

He really enjoyed Frank's company and plus, it was getting on for half ten now.

It was probably dark and still pouring it down outside.

"It's late," Gerard suddenly found himself saying, "And you haven't eaten. Maybe you should stay here."

What the _fuck_ was he doing?

He sounded like some creepy psycho.

Any minute now, Frank would run out of the room, screaming.

He didn't.

Instead, he raised an eyebrow at Gerard.

"You want me to stay?"

Gerard's mouth was dry again.

All he could do was nod slightly.

Frank chuckled lightly.

"You're one weird motherfucker, Gerard Way."

Gerard hoped that was a good thing.

Frank turned and sat back down on the bed.

"Sure, I'll stay," He smiled, apparently not thinking that there was something seriously wrong with Gerard, "As long as you can provide food and more movies."

Gerard smiled and he found his voice again, "I think I can do that."

He left Frank to pick some movies while he went upstairs to make popcorn and get some sodas.

He suddenly felt like a kid again.

He used to do things like this with Mikey when they were younger because they shared a room.

Gerard sometimes missed doing things like this so he actually felt a little excited as he went into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" A voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Gerard took two bags of ready-made popcorn out of one of the cupboards and placed them on the side.

"Getting supplies."

Mikey raised an eyebrow and sat down at the table.

"For what?" He asked curiously.

Gerard opened the fridge, "Frank and I are gonna watch some movies."

"What?" Mikey sounded surprised, "How long is he staying?"

Gerard found a six pack of sodas and placed them next to the popcorn.

He finally looked at his brother.

"What's with the third degree?" He crossed his arms, "Not that it's any of your business but he's staying the night."

Mikey actually snorted at this.

Gerard narrowed his eyes at him before grabbing a big bowl and shoving the bags of popcorn into it.

"What's wrong with that?" He asked.

"Hm? Nothing at all," Mikey rolled his eyes, standing up again, "Have a good time tonight."

He then left the room.

God, little brothers were the bane of existence.

Juggling the six pack of sodas and the bowl, Gerard made his way back down to his room.

Frank was sat in the middle of the bed, movies spread out in front of him.

"I can't decide what to watch first," He said when he saw Gerard.

Gerard placed everything on the end of the bed and looked over to the collection.

"Nice choices," He remarked.

Frank smiled at him, "Thanks. So what do you think? I'm stuck between The Silence Of The Lambs and The Ring."

Gerard climbed onto the bed next to him.

"Wow um..." He was sat close to Frank, looking over his shoulder.

It took him a moment to realise how close he actually was.

Frank looked at him at the same moment and they both seemed to freeze.

Well, Gerard did anyway.

Frank's face was only inches away from his and he mentally cursed himself for sitting so close.

"Um... Maybe... The Lambs first?" Gerard swallowed.

He voice was barely above a whisper.

For once, Frank didn't say anything.

He just nodded before picking up the DVD.

Gerard took this opportunity to move away from Frank to grab the bowl and sodas.

He could feel himself shaking slightly, both with fear and want.

He told himself to snap out of it.

Frank didn't want him like _that_.

"Here," Gerard handed him a soda and the bowl of bagged popcorn.

"Cool. Thanks."

Frank sat back against the pillows while Gerard put the disk in the laptop.

When the film started, Gerard sat back next to Frank.

Frank had already emptied both bags of popcorn into the bowl.

Gerard placed the other sodas, along with the one he was drinking, on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.

He tried to casually look at Frank.

Frank was leant back, eating popcorn and staring at the screen.

Gerard finally felt himself breath again, as if he hadn't since he had looked over Frank's shoulder at the DVDs.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

He was stuck between wanting Frank here for his company and not wanting him here so he wasn't tempted to try anything on with him.

God, what was wrong with him?

The one time he finds someone who could potentially be a really good friend, he had to fuck it up with his stupid, homosexual feelings.

Frank would definitely be disgusted if he knew what was going through Gerard's head.

Although, even though Frank wouldn't want him like that, Gerard could still daydream, right?

He could pretend this was some cheesy movie where he invites Frank in out of the rain and they watch movies together and their hands happen to meet in the popcorn bowl...

Wait, this wasn't a daydream; this was real life.

Gerard looked down at his hand in the bowl.

Frank's hand had reached in when Gerard was taking his out.

They both looked at Frank's hand that was curled around Gerard's as he had attempted to grab more popcorn.

Gerard could feel himself going red as fucking usual.

It wasn't like he could move though.

Frank had all the power in this situation.

Slowly, Gerard let himself look up at Frank.

Frank was already looking at him, a slight smile on his face.

Holy _shit_ , Gerard was going to Hell.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out so he closed it again, waiting to see what Frank would do.

Frank bit his lip but eventually let go of Gerard's hand and took his own hand back.

Gerard took the popcorn he had been holding onto for dear life and looked back to the laptop, trying not to look at Frank again.

Jeez, that had been awkward.

What if Frank knew about Gerard's feelings?

He wasn't exactly hiding them well.

After about half an hour, Gerard was fully immersed in the film.

It was a pretty good film after all and he hadn't watched it in a while.

As he watched, he could vaguely sense Frank move next to him.

Was Frank moving _closer_ to him...?

No, that couldn't be right.

Frank moved the half-empty bowl of popcorn onto his lap and slowly moved into the gap between them.

He probably thought he was being discreet but Gerard couldn't help but sense his every move.

A few moments later, when Frank was settled again, Gerard let himself look at him.

Frank was pressed right next to him, their arms touching all the way down.

He was using his left hand to eat popcorn and Gerard definitely knew that Frank was not left-handed.

What was he doing?

Gerard swallowed slowly before turning back to the laptop.

Clarice had gone to visit Hannibal again which wasn't the wisest of choices, in Gerard's opinion.

Frank moved his hand slightly so it was pressed against the back of Gerard's.

Holy shit, what was he _doing?_

Gerard couldn't really focus on the film after that.

He felt tense, willing himself not to lunge at Frank.

That would make things a million times worse.

This kid was teasing him.

But the thing is, he was only a year younger than Gerard.

Even though Gerard often felt like he was in his mid-thirties, he had to remind himself that he was nineteen.

He was nineteen and Frank was eighteen.

There was nothing wrong with that at all.

But still, he wasn't going to let himself do anything about it.

He couldn't let himself believe that Frank might actually want him too.

However, it was seeming more and more likely as Frank moved his fingers slightly so they brushed against Gerard's.

Oh God.

Soon, Frank actually moved his fingers so they laced Gerard's in a weird, backwards, handholding thing.

Gerard didn't dare move.

He had no _idea_ what to do.

He also had no idea what was happening in the film now.

They were talking about Buffalo Bill but Gerard wasn't taking in anything they were saying.

Frank was still slightly wiggling his fingers in between Gerard's, apparently trying to kill Gerard with this teasing.

Meanwhile, Gerard wasn't even looking at the screen anymore.

He was just watching Frank's hand, waiting to see what he would do next.

He didn't have to wait long.

In a quick move, Frank pulled his hand away before placing it on Gerard's properly and lacing their fingers together.

Gerard just about choked on his own tongue.

Before he could freak out too much, he closed his fingers around Frank's.

He knew Frank was smiling but he didn't dare himself to look at him.

Frank's eyes hadn't left the movie this whole time.

"This is the best bit now," He whispered after a moment.

Gerard nodded, not even sure where they were in the film anymore.

All he knew was Frank was holding his hand and Gerard never wanted him to let go.

Frank started rubbing the back of Gerard's hand with his thumb soothingly.

This caused a small smile to spread across Gerard's face and he rested his head against Frank's shoulder, looking at the screen again.

He felt so content at that moment.

It was nice to have the comfort of human contact.

Gerard's last relationship was about a year ago now, probably longer.

It didn't last long and the guy turned out to be a complete asshole so Gerard had sworn off relationships but now he was rethinking.

But surely Frank didn't want to be in a relationship with him.

This had to be a one-time thing.

But hand-holding was more of a couple thing than a sex thing.

If his soul purpose was getting off, surely he would have just jumped on Gerard.

But no, he was holding his hand instead.

It was weird that this small gesture felt so intimate.

And Gerard really liked it.

Frank apparently did too because he rested his head against Gerard's and sighed contently.

Gerard could quite happily die here.

Buffalo Bill was dancing around his hidden lair but Gerard was far from paying attention.

Frank lifted and turned his head which caused Gerard to look up at him.

Frank was already looking down at him, their faces close.

Gerard could hear Frank's breath slowly move in and out of his nose.

Frank had that contemplative look about him again.

What was he thinking?

Gerard wanted to know.

At that moment, Frank looked so good.

His hair was dry now but messy and falling in front of his face.

He bit his lip, desire appearing in the way he was looking at Gerard.

Gerard couldn't help it then.

He had to do something before he exploded.

Slowly, he closed the gap between their faces until he could feel the breath from Frank's nose hitting him.

He then used his free hand to move the hair out of Frank's face and behind his ear.

Frank closed his eyes as he did this, his breathing pitching up a little.

Gerard looked at his lips.

He wasn't biting it anymore but his mouth was slightly open and all Gerard wanted to do was press his own lips against it.

Frank opened his eyes, the green in the hazel was more prominent in this close proximity.

Keeping his gaze on Gerard, he licked his lips a little, playing with his lip ring.

That was it.

Gerard couldn't hold himself back any longer.

He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Frank's, causing Frank to hum under his mouth.

Frank kissed him back eagerly, licking Gerard's bottom lip with his tongue.

Eventually, Frank let go of his hand and turned into him more, wrapping his arms around Gerard's neck.

Gerard moaned in the back of his throat and did the same to Frank's waist.

The popcorn fell onto the floor, forgotten.

On the screen, Clarice received a call from Hannibal, creating a tense moment in the scene.

Frank and Gerard were far from interested now though.

They both had something else to focus on.


End file.
